Su Xinyue’s Sonic Howl was obliterated by Tang Jie’s roar, and the person herself was dizzied. Tang Jie stepped forward, allowing the Shadowless Needle to strike him as he punched at the sword.

As sword and fist met, a long gash was scored across his hand, but the surging power of his fist knocked aside the sword, leaving Su Xinyue completely open.

Tang Jie rushed up and smashed a fist at her. The Silver Shield appeared, erupting with a dazzling light. It was clearly on the verge of breaking against Tang Jie’s berserk might.

At this moment, another figure appeared at the distant entrance to the Devil Crushing Path.

“Not good!” Tang Jie mentally cursed. He hadn’t expected the second person to come so quickly.

“Help me!” Su Xinyue shouted.

It wasn’t possible to see that person’s face from such a distance, but they immediately began to run over upon hearing this call for help.

Tang Jie knew that this wasn’t a good sign. He punched three times at Su Xinyue’s Silver Shield, and with a bang, the barrier shattered.

At the same time, Su Xinyue pointed ahead. Tang Jie was ready to take her attack, but to his surprise, she had aimed her finger at the ground behind him.

Startled, Tang Jie knew that this wasn’t good.

He heard a wolf howl behind him.

The Violet Ember Wolf had gotten to its feet and was angrily glaring at Tang Jie. With a howl, its fur bristled, and another violet flame emerged, but this flame engulfed the wolf in a violet radiance. The Violet Ember Wolf howled and shot at Tang Jie like an arrow.

This attack was bound to be powerful, and in normal circumstances, Tang Jie would have elected to dodge.

But that other student was approaching at high speeds, and Tang Jie could already tell who it was: Peng Yaolong. He knew that if Peng Yaolong and Su Xinyue could work together, the battle would grow more difficult, so he decided that he couldn’t dodge this blow.

He rushed up to Su Xinyue and threw her behind him.

The violet claw unleashed a ball of flame in the air that managed to stop it hard only three inches from Su Xinyue’s head.

Su Xinyue was scared out of her wits from the sight of her beloved wolf’s claw, and even Peng Yaolong who was rushing over paused for a moment.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

And then Tang Jie grabbed Su Xinyue by the neck and slowly backed away.

The fiend wolf glared at Tang Jie, but it did not dare to move. Tang Jie thrust a finger at the point where Su Xinyue’s Spirit Eye was located, rendering her helpless. He then threw Su Xinyue behind him, and flowery vines erupted and coiled around her. Yiyi used her countless green roses to bind Su Xinyue and drag her into the formation.

The fiend wolf was furious and was about to charge over when Su Xinyue shouted, “Violet, don’t!”

The Violet Ember Wolf unwillingly trotted over, lay down next to its master, and sorrowfully whimpered.

Peng Yaolong snorted at this sight. “Su Xinyue… I didn’t think that you would get in here ahead of me. Truly surprising. Tang Jie, it seems that I have to thank you for holding her off.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll go easy on me, right?” Tang Jie chuckled.

Peng Yaolong grinned. “Correct. That’s what’s most amusing about all this. Everyone that comes after you will actually be a loser of this examination. They shouldn’t have had a chance, but because of you, they do have a chance. But they can’t get this chance unless they defeat you…”

“Indeed.” Tang Jie sighed. “In truth, all of you ought to thank me by giving up. Isn’t that fine? It’s not like that spot would have been yours, so why fight with me over it?”

“But it’s also not Wei Tianchong’s. Tang Jie, if you walked over and got first place, nobody would complain. But if you insist on helping Wei Tianchong get the True Inheritance, then you have to give everyone else a chance. If I don’t make good use of it, won’t I be throwing away an opportunity granted to me by the heavens?” Peng Yaolong loudly laughed as the joints in his body cracked and a powerful aura erupted from his body.

He glared at Tang Jie. “Tang Jie! I might have fallen behind you in this test, only getting third, but that’s just because I’m not well versed in the Dao of Formations. In terms of strength, I’m at Mortal Shedding, so you’re no match for me, and your plan is bound to fail! Since you’ve already fought a battle, I won’t make things hard for you and will give you one last chance. Stand aside and I won’t beat you up!”

“Great Brother Peng, you’re wrong about one thing.” Tang Jie chuckled. “You aren’t the third to reach the Devil Crushing Path, but the fourth.”

“Hm?” Peng Yaolong froze.

Tang Jie pointed at the nearby Heaventopple Stamp. “A fellow who isn’t technically a student was first, and he was also at the Mortal Shedding Realm.”

“What?” Peng Yaolong was shocked. “Where is he, then?”

He then realized that he had asked a stupid question. Since Tang Jie was here, that other person had naturally been sent running by Tang Jie.

It was just that he found it too unbelievable for Tang Jie to beat a Mortal Shedding Realm cultivator. After all, he was only at Spirit Lake.

Sure enough, Tang Jie said, “Where else? I threw him into the Nine Palace Heart Ring. Great Brother Peng, you are one of the talents of Basking Moon Academy, so I want to see the difference between a new Spirit Master and an old one. But I think that no matter what, you shouldn’t be stronger than him!”

Tang Jie shook his arm and unleashed a howling punch at Peng Yaolong.

He had been talking just to catch his breath. After regaining some of his energy, he immediately attacked before any more students came.

Peng Yaolong laughed. “Just what I wanted!”

He swung a fist in response.

The two steely fists met in the air, releasing a powerful shockwave that sent both of them back. Peng Yaolong fell back three steps, and Tang Jie fell back four steps.

In this direct confrontation, Tang Jie was just a little weaker.

Peng Yaolong laughed. “What do you think this time?”

Peng Yaolong was a close-combat student just like Tang Jie, and he cultivated his Apex Combat True Astral to a higher level than Tang Jie had his Formless Golden Body.

In his last clash with Tang Jie, the difference in constitutions had allowed Tang Jie to get the upper hand, but after he entered Hundred Refinement, he had thought about that painful experience and trained his body every day.

This was precisely why he hadn’t improved much in the spell art field after reaching Mortal Shedding, but his body was much stronger.

Though his body was still inferior to Tang Jie’s in many aspects, the Apex Combat True Astral was enough to make up for these flaws, and he could now overcome Tang Jie in pure strength.

Peng Yaolong roared and punched again.

He wasn’t using his usual gauntlets, simply punching with his bare fists, but their power was nonetheless frightening.

Grunting, Tang Jie drew back the Heartbreak Saber and then once again took on the punch directly.

Boom!

In another massive boom, the two of them closed and then parted. In the middle of a furious storm, two valiant figures battled.

Peng Yaolong was admittedly powerful, but Tang Jie’s punches were savage. As the two of them exchanged blows, spiritual energy ran through their flesh, turning them into steel combat puppets. Bang! Bang! Bang! It wasn’t as dazzling as spell arts, only a clash of weapons and flesh. Rather than a battle between cultivators, it was more like two wrestlers battling it out on the stage.

But this fighting style was even more cruel and intense, with no cheap tricks or lucky flukes allowed.

Thud!

Peng Yaolong punched Tang Jie in the face, causing half of his face to swell. At the same time, Tang Jie chopped his hand at Peng Yaolong’s neck, causing his neck to momentarily go numb.

Peng Yaolong punched Tang Jie in the abdomen while Tang Jie kicked Peng Yaolong in the chest, and the two of them groaned and vomited blood. But the two of them only drew back half a step before lunging at each other again and trading blows.

It was a gruesome and savage battle, and the two of them were soon covered with wounds, but neither of them backed down. They were like suicide warriors as they punched and kicked, unafraid of death and willing to fight until the end. This was an aura that only battlefield veterans should have, but it was appearing on two students. One could tell at a glance that these were not just normal students. The ferocity of the battle left even Su Xinyue gobsmacked.

From the time she had entered the academy, she had cultivated quietly, not seeking the attention of all, in order to stun everyone with a meteoric rise. But today, she finally understood how absurd and laughable her idea was.

No one could truly rise up in the space of a single day. In this rise, people would often have to experience countless torments and trials which allowed them to slowly mature.

Staying hidden and burying oneself in training in the hopes of ascending to heaven in a single day was naught but an absurd dream! It was something that the incompetent who did not dare to vie for the world used to console themselves!

Whether it was Tang Jie or Peng Yaolong, their student exteriors concealed the numerous trials they had already been through. Tang Jie had his battle of wits and daring against Godhead Palace, but Peng Yaolong had also been through countless bloody trials to obtain his current boldness.

As the two of them punched and kicked, they glared at each other like hungry wolves.

Tang Jie was as fierce as a tiger, but Peng Yaolong stared at Tang Jie with the eyes of a bull in rage.

The two of them gasped for breath, and Peng Yaolong suddenly grinned. “Tang Jie, I admire you for your willingness to hold the pass all by yourself, and normally, I would definitely make you my friend. Unfortunately, for the True Inheritance, I can show no mercy. Watch closely. This is an ability I comprehended after reaching the Mortal Shedding Realm. If you can take it, then you win!”

Peng Yaolong’s fist became covered with a black energy, bursting out at first, but then it quickly receded inside of the fist. As it did, a powerful aura began to swell.

Peng Yaolong roared, “Dragon-Tiger Fist!”

He swung the punch at Tang Jie, releasing a powerful wave of energy.

“Raaa!” Tang Jie roared as he struck back.

There was no golden needle and no spell arts, only an endless fighting intent and a dazzling fist energy.

As the two energies clashed, there was a massive boom.

The storms created by the two fists clashed evenly for a moment, and then there was a secondary explosion, and in this surge of energy, Tang Jie groaned and staggered back.

Peng Yaolong’s Dragon-Tiger Fist continued forward, striking Tang Jie in the face.

This was a powerful blow, jolting Tang Jie’s mind and causing his vision to go dark. He knew that this wasn’t good, and as he flew backward, he kicked out, striking Peng Yaolong in the chest. He then flew backward and crashed into the ground, unable to get up for a moment.

Peng Yaolong’s Apex Combat True Astral flashed a moment before greatly dimming. It was clear that he could no longer maintain it, but he was still standing.

“You win,” Tang Jie groaned.

In this clash, Tang Jie ultimately couldn’t defeat the Mortal Shedding Peng Yaolong.

In terms of spell arts, he might not be able to compare to Zhang Qinan, but in a competition of strength, he didn’t lose out in the slightest.

He truly deserved the title of Great Brother.

Peng Yaolong held his chest and grunted. “I’ve cultivated for six years and have already entered the Mortal Shedding Realm, but I was only barely able to beat you, who have only cultivated for two years. There’s no glory in this victory.”

Even after using his ultimate move, Peng Yaolong had barely managed to win, so he didn’t feel proud in the slightest.

Tang Jie chuckled. “A loss is a loss and a win is a win. On the battlefield, the difference between life and death is sometimes only a centimeter. There’s no such thing as barely winning. Great Brother, there’s no need to be humble.”

“Well then, please don’t mind if I don’t keep you company,” Peng Yaolong grunted, and prepared to leave.

Tang Jie casually continued, “Alas, Great Brother, while you’ve certainly won, you can’t leave. Bao’er, Yiyi, stop him.”

As he spoke, Yiyi and the little tiger appeared next to him.

Peng Yaolong was stunned by this sight. “Tang Jie, you…”